I'm Back
by ComtesseDeChagny
Summary: The Joker's back in Gotham, and his first stop is... a school? Post TDK.  R&R, but more importantly, ENJOY!
1. Chapter 1

**'Kay, so this is my first Dark Knight Fanfic... It's post TDK, and I own nothing except my characters. Wouldn't it be lovely to own the Joker, though? Sigh...**

**Anyhoo, reviews make my week, so don't be shy! **

I knew from the time I was 5 that Gotham wasn't safe. By 7, I knew that one could get mugged or even killed walking home at night. But it was at age 14 that I learned that our city harbored a "superhero" as well as several "supervillains." I thought that that kind of stuff only resided in comic books. But no, the masked vigilante known as Batman swept over the streets at night, trying to make Gotham just a little bit better. It's nice that he tries, but it's about as effective as someone holding their hands up in front of the ocean, trying to stop the tide from coming in at the beach. Still… I guess every little bit helps in some way, shape, or form.

At age 14, I also started attending Gotham High. By age 15, I was certain that I wanted to leave. Gotham had its own kind of dark, brooding charm, I suppose, but I wasn't about to stay there any longer than I had to. I wasn't someone like Harvey Dent, an idealist who gnashed his teeth furiously because of all the corruption. For one, my eyes have been wide open to reality in Gotham for a long time. Quite the little cynic, you might say. But Dent lived long enough to become the villain, though they tried to make out that he had died a hero. How do I know that privileged piece of information? I camped out in the warehouse on a dare that night. Not that it matters. But have I told anyone about it? No. Is it because I care about preserving Dent's personal to keep deluding residents of Gotham that I don't tell his secret? Not hardly. The right time just hasn't arrived yet.

Anyways, that's enough of an introduction about my life. I attend Gotham High, as I mentioned previously. I'm fairly certain that our principal has connections with Meroni and the mob, and same for certain teachers. Just so long as they don't prevent me from graduating from this hellhole, I really don't care. That sounds awful, doesn't it? I know I should be indignant about the corruption in the education system. But really, this IS Gotham. It's what I've come to expect.

So one day, I went to school in my normal get-up of leggings, an oversized sweatshirt, and Dr. Martens. Walked in, tried to maneuver my way around the clumps of people cluttering the hallways. I reached my first period class and sat down with a frustrated sigh. I had forgotten my homework again, and would be lucky to get a B this quarter. Usually my grades were all A's, since I wasn't rich enough to go to college, and my only hope was a scholarship. But this past month had been weird. Everyone else rushed in and sat down as they started the televised morning announcements. Everything was normal for a few minutes, but suddenly the picture became shaky and everything was black. All the lights in the school had gone out as well.

There were a few cries ,hushed whispers, and other noise, but they all stopped suddenly when the camera came back on. It was still shaky, but I assumed that was from the person who was holding it. It showed the principal bound and gagged with a playing card stuck in between the ropes and his fleshy visage. Realization dawned on all of us as we realized what that playing card in particular meant. The Joker was back.

Still I couldn't help but laugh softly at the predicament our mob principal found himself in.

"Greetings, Gotham High," said an eerily smooth voice. The camera turned to show the gaudily painted face of the Joker.

"I hope I'm, uh, not interrupting anything," he cackled. In the few moments of silence that followed, I thought about his voice. It was indescribable, really. But then he continued, so I kept listening.

"Now, you see, kids, the Batman thinks I'm gone, but as you can clearly see, I am most certainly not-uh. For the moment, I need you kids to keep my little secret so I can, uh, surprise him." I thought this was all, but he kept talking, "However, I know you little ones probably LOOOOVE the Batman and would never want him to be off his A-game, so in order to ensure your silence, I will take one of you with me. And if no one accepts this offer of being my hostage, I'll give you another option where I blow your little school sky high with the bombs I have placed in each of your classrooms. Better hurry and make your decisions because they're set to blow and I'm the only one with a deactivator."

He howled with laughter and then everything went black on the TV screen again. I looked around the room. While I could hear others outside our room panicking, our room held a shocked sort of stillness. Then the teacher said, as if nothing had happened, "Class, please open your textbooks to page 103 and continue reading until page 105."


	2. Chapter 2

"Wait!" yelled Jimmy, one of the more excitable students in our class. "Don't you think we should talk about this?"

The teacher looked up and sighed, knowing that we'd talk about it anyway, no matter what she said. "Alright then, are any of you willing to be a hostage?"

People began to murmur and shake their heads. I just sat back with a vague sense of amusement that I couldn't shake. They were all so… serious. As that little thought wandered through my head, I mentally slapped myself and sat up a little straighter. Now was not the time.

Since I was the only one who seemed to be thinking clearly I said, "Okay, no one wants to go with that madman. Let's get that straight. Or if they really truly do, I worry for them. However, noting that this is the Joker, there's always the possibility that he will blow up the school anyways. Don't get me wrong. I'm not thrilled that this happened, and even though I don't want to go, I will offer to be taken as a hostage, so that no one else has to."

As the teacher sent an e-mail to the main office, and probably to the Joker informing them (or him) of my decision, I also added, "Don't type this in your little note, but if you can find a way of evacuating most of the classrooms, if not all, after the Joker leaves, it would be a good idea, just in case…" As I trailed off, a few people began to cry. I snorted at their emotional states. They were much too shielded to live here. You need to develop a tough skin to survive in Gotham. Luckily, I had.

Now, I'm not really sure even to this day why I volunteered to be the hostage. It wasn't because of some noble, sacrificing thing in me, so don't think I'm a saint. And it wasn't because I was psychotic enough then to actually want to go with him. I thought he was as crazy as they come, though I had enough sense to not call him that. It wasn't even because I wanted to analyze the way his mind worked like a psychologist, though I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't be a bit of a perk. AP Psych was one of my favorite classes. The best way to explain what I felt was that I was being logical. I knew the people in my school, and even the "tough guys" were scared shitless by the Joker, no matter what they said otherwise. I was the only person who was not self-righteous or scared enough to shy away from him. Therefore, it would be easiest for everyone if I did go. But it wasn't out of compassion for all the other students; at least, I don't feel like it was. It was just the simplest plan.

Some of you will look at this and say, "Well she must have wanted to go with him in some way shape or form, or else she wouldn't have gone." Maybe you're right. But let me tell you one thing: I did not agree with his ideology and I didn't like what he had done and was doing. But ON SOME LEVEL I must have realized that it would be interesting or less boring to go with him, and me going would also save someone else from dying. That's another thing. I had sort of unconsciously or consciously analyzed his behavioral patterns and I felt pretty confident that I wouldn't get into situations where I would be hurt badly by him. I also had experience with learning how to box and wrestle, unladylike as it may be, just so I would know how to take some mugger down in the streets if need be. I was wrong, but at the time, I didn't know that.

Oh, I should also mention, that my parents died when I was very young (sound familiar?) and my foster family didn't care for me and wouldn't care if I was gone. Sad, but true, and I got over it a while ago.

So, I nonchalantly asked my teacher, "Should I go down now and meet him, then?" as if I had asked when to go to the office because of a doctor's appointment. My teacher never really understood my attitude and how detached I could be if need be, but she said with a little quiver in her voice, "Yes, now's fine. Please be safe."

It wasn't until after I got into the hallway and was headed down towards the main office that the waves of hysteria and laughter started to hit. I burst out laughing at my teacher's comment. Safe? The Joker? I was pretty sure those two words didn't really mix, except in a bank robbery situation. Still laughing, I opened the door to the main office. The Joker whipped his head around and said, "Oh, goodie! I like it when they're smiling. What's your name, little one?"

I calmed down enough to say, "Why do you need to know?" He looked at me for a second then cracked up.

"Ooh, this is a fun one, I can tell. So why are you here, No Name?"

"You said you needed a hostage, didn't you?"

He nodded slowly and smiled like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. "Excellent, simply marvelous. I have a feeling we'll get along pretty well."

I'm sure a few of you are wondering about what I thought of his physical appearance and overall demeanor. It was a bit startling, since I had only ever seen him on TV before. Let's just say that it didn't do him justice. The paint was more vibrantly bright, and he had a more reckless air about him. He was not one's normal adult, obviously. I would say that he looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, though I could have been wrong. He also radiated a sense of power and control. This was going to be a very interesting experience, and now that I was on the ride, I couldn't get off.

I must have had a pensive expression on my face because the Joker came up and grabbed my chin and murmured, "Say, No Name, why so serious? Tell ya what, let's go and put a smile on that face." And with that, he motioned to his goons to pull me out and toss me in the van while he ran out ahead shooting blanks towards the ceiling and cackling at the sound of hysteric cries from the classrooms surrounding us.

The rollercoaster ride had begun.


End file.
